Research in Engineering Student Learning

CELT educational researchers work on funded research projects with colleagues from the University of Washington and across the nation to conduct research that advances engineering education. This document highlights our current research activities.

Design Learning

In this research area we seek to characterize how engineering students and practicing professionals solve engineering design problems, to understand the effectiveness of current approaches to engineering design instruction, and to ultimately develop and evaluate instruction to enhance the learning of engineering design.

Knowledge Integration of Learners

In this research area we seek to characterize how engineering students integrate knowledge gained through classes and other learning experiences, to characterize the relationship of this knowledge integration with the development of a professional engineering identity, to understand the effectiveness of current approaches to promoting knowledge integration, and to ultimately develop and evaluate instruction to enhance knowledge integration.

Integration of Research and Teaching

In our research we seek to characterize the instructional challenges of engineering educators and the effectiveness of instructional and curricular innovations. We also seek to understand how to help engineering faculty continuously enhance their teaching effectiveness, and how to incorporate research on engineering student learning into such efforts.


Design Learning	Knowledge Integration of Learners	Integration of Research & Teaching
Expertise Design process Problem scoping Communication Design representations Conceptions of design Conceptions of professional practice Metrics/Evaluation	Knowledge integration - within and across domains Conceptions of profession Portfolios Reflective practice Automatic assessment and feedback Relationship between Formal/informal learning environments School/work	Bridging research and practice Teaching challenges of engineering faculty Strategies and resources for engineering educators Inclusive teaching - integration of diversity Modeling change in engineering teaching Maintaining an active test bed and building research capacity

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